Conservatives React to Boehner’s Immigration Comments

House Speaker John Boehner lampooned his Republican colleagues over their unwillingness to take on immigration reform during an appearance yesterday in his Ohio district.

“Here’s the attitude. Ooh, don’t make me do this, ooh, this is too hard. You should hear ‘em,” he said in a dramatic parody, criticizing other Republicans for their lack of “appetite” and trying to “take the path of least resistance.”

Boehner, sounding disappointed that he has not been able to garner enough GOP support to move immigration reform in the House, also said:

We get elected to solve problems and it’s remarkable to me how many of my colleagues just don’t want to.”

Heritage Foundation analyst David Inserra called Boehner’s mockery “a sad attempt to obscure and belittle the real policy differences between conservatives and the rest of Congress.”

“Conservatives do not believe that an amnesty-first, enforcement-never approach to immigration ‘reform’ is the right path forward because it is costly, unfair, and won’t solve the U.S.’s immigration problems,” Inserra told The Foundry, highlighting conservatives’ lack of trust in President Obama’s assurances that immigration law will be enforced.

“It’s disappointing, but by now not surprising, that the Republican speaker is attacking conservatives looking to retake the Senate,” Heritage Action CEO Michael Needham said. “John Boehner is more interested in advancing the agenda of high-powered D.C. special interests than inspiring Americans with a policy vision that allows freedom, opportunity, prosperity and civil society to flourish.”

Boehner’s office did not respond to a request for comment.

This story was produced by The Foundry’s news team. Nothing here should be construed as necessarily reflecting the views of The Heritage Foundation.

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